187.3 Faculty Purchasing

187.3 Faculty Purchasing

A. Background

The purchasing policy is designed to allow the university to obtain needed items at minimum costs while assuring that proper quality is maintained.

B. Policy

A faculty member may request the purchase of supplies, materials, equipment, and services necessary to the performance of his or her duties.

C. Guidelines

1. Before any purchase is made, the department chair must prepare a formal purchase order showing items, vendor, and price, and forward it to the Director of Purchasing, who will approve the order if it is in the proper form and within the available budget, and then forward it to the supplier.

2. A faculty member must request purchases through his or her department chair, who is the budget unit head over the department budget. (See File 370.1.)

3. Competitive bids should be secured by the department chair. (See File 370.1.)

4. All requisitions must include adequate specification, catalogue numbers, etc., to assure purchase of the proper item.

5. If it is necessary to place an emergency purchase order by telephone, the department chair must provide the vendor with an authorized university purchase order number which may be obtained from Purchasing by telephone, with a confirming written purchase order, citing the used purchase order number, forwarded to the Director of Purchasing by the next day.

6. A request for an expenditure that would exceed the unencumbered balance in a budget will be referred to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean.

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